By Diane Ako HONOLULU — Could a new bill help stem the health care crisis in Hawaii? Many say there’s a shortage of physicians across the state because of the rising cost of medical malpractice insurance and the fear of being sued. Supporters say House Bill 3102 and Senate Bill 3024 will help Hawaii attract […]

By ERIC RUTH, The News Journal http://www.delawareonline.com The state’s insurance commissioner says he won’t give up this year on several reforms that have been rebuffed by the Legislature, and will expand his agenda to include a few new causes. Outgoing Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn, who is in a Democratic primary race for lieutenant governor, said […]

At the same time, MedPAC calls for physicians to receive a 1.1% raise next year. By David Glendinning, AMNews staff. http://www.ama-assn.org Even with Medicare payments to physicians still in doubt for the final half of this year, lawmakers and their Medicare advisers already are thinking about how much doctors will be paid next year. If […]

By Alison Snyder Long Island Business News – New York Business News The high cost of medical malpractice insurance has some obstetrician/gynecologists cutting back on the scope of their business, while others are fleeing New York altogether. And Long Island hospitals are worried that the price of malpractice insurance will lead to a health-care access […]

http://www.dcmedmalblog.com Hundreds of thousands of children in the U.S. face the prospect of a life-threatening asthma attack at a time when they have no health insurance, according to a new study recently published in the journal Ambulatory Pediatrics. Researchers utilized data collected in 2003 and 2004 at the National Center for Health Statistics and determined […]

by: Bobby Shuttleworth http://www.waff.com The state’s free clinics may be getting help from state Senator Arthur Orr. He’s pushing a bill that would let retired doctors practice medicine, while the state pays for their malpractice insurance. This measure will benefit both doctor’s and patients.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com The worsening problem of physician shortages in the Rochester region and upstate finally is prompting solutions. Gov. Spitzer has a good plan to help new doctors pay their schooling debts if they open their practices in underserved areas. And locally, the region’s largest provider and largest insurer, with the vital intervention of the Rochester […]

http://www.democratandchronicle.com Sandra Parker, Scott Ellsworth and Dr. Brad Berk Guest essayists Retaining and recruiting the physicians we need to provide the quality of health care we expect has been a pressing issue here for several years. But through open and honest discussions, based on facts and data rather than anecdotes, the stakeholders in local health […]

Blue Cross measure aims to slow runaway costs, improve quality of healthcare By Alice Dembner Globe Staff Massachusetts’ dominant health insurer is proposing to overhaul the way it pays doctors and hospitals, in what company officials said is an attempt to slow runaway healthcare costs and improve the quality of care. Blue Cross and Blue […]